


In Plain Sight

by TheGirlNoOneKnows5



Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: Banter, Co-workers, David is mysterious, Fluff, Friendship, Halloween, M/M, Matteo is oblivious, Spookaloo, Supernatural Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 00:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlNoOneKnows5/pseuds/TheGirlNoOneKnows5
Summary: In all the movies, whenever someone behaves like this, they always turn out to be a vampire. Matteo laughs at himself. Yeah right.-October; the most wonderful time of the year. Spooky season. The arrival of a new mysterious coworker sets this Halloween up to be Matteo's most memorable one yet. But who exactly is this David Schreibner?





	In Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Boo! Happy Halloween mates. Enjoy my first ever DRUCK fic
> 
> -a few weird references to eating in case that's a sensitive topic for some-  
-also a brief mention of death but blink and you’ll miss it-

It was the most wonderful time of the year. Decorations were going up. Songs were being played. Parties were being planned. It was October.

Spooky season had begun. 

Matteo walked to work with a spring in his step. Well, he walked from the _bus_ with a spring in his step. Soon, he'd be in his element. Bloodbath and Zombieworks would make sense again. October was the only time of year it did. He walked into the store and collided with someone standing right in front of the door. Because standing in everyone’s way was a brilliant idea. Very helpful. 

“Oof!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

All Matteo’s annoyance disappeared when he looked at the guy. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark clothes. The longest eyelashes humanly possible. He was unlike anyone Matteo had ever seen. He was– he was– _so fucking hot_, Matteo decided. He gulped and made sure to maintain his usual bored expression, lest he caught on. “Uh, yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

“Florenzi!” Rentier said as he entered from the back, arms full of empty boxes. “First day selling our new stock.”

Matteo glanced around the little store, taking in the new soaps and lotions of red, orange and black. He was glad their products didn’t have strong scents otherwise he’d have a headache all day. Instead, they created a nice, faint aroma that reminded him of warm tea on a rainy day.

The store had also been decked out in Halloween decorations. More than usual, that was. Their fake cobwebs, plastic spiders and rubber extremities were joined by ghosts hung from the ceiling, and monster figurines in random spots around the store. The difference wasn’t that grand – though it never was. Matteo thought it was glorious.

Rentier disappeared out the back door for a moment to dispose of the empty boxes and returned empty handed. He stilled, as if startled. “Oh, yeah. This is David, our new sales assistant.”

They shared an awkward nod.

“It’s his first day, so I want you to show him the ropes, okay?”

Matteo wasn’t sure he was the best person for that task, but another glance at David made his mind up. Rentier ducked back into the staff-storeroom, leaving them alone. They gave each other a sideways glance. Then another. They let the second one linger. David chuckled softly. _Cute_, Matteo thought.

David strolled around the store, fingers hovering above every surface as he looked around. Matteo watched, entranced. There was something about him…

“It’s kind of weird that he runs a Halloween themed body shop but his name is reindeer.” David said after a while.

“That’s not his real name.”

“What is?”

Matteo shrugged. “He never tells anyone.”

David turned to face him and raised his brows. “No one?”

“He keeps his secrets.”

“Mm. We all do.”

Matteo didn’t really like the way he said that. Like he knew everything in the world. No one was supposed to know everything.

“Wanna know my secret?” he said, interrupting Matteo’s despondent Tuesday afternoon thoughts. His eyebrows were raised again, eyes sparkling with mischief. 

Matteo did like that. “Yeah?”

He leaned in, gesturing for Matteo to do the same. Matteo’s gut flipped at the thought of being close to him. He could feel his breath on his face. “I’m a murderer.”

“What?”

David stared at him intensely as if to say ‘you’re next’. All Matteo could do was gulp. Several more seconds of this and David stepped back with a laugh. “You believed me, didn’t you?”

Matteo rolled his eyes. “No.”

“Sure.”

Matteo wasn’t _that _easy. Was he? He shook his head. No, of course not. No one could fool him. David gave him a knowing smile. Matteo walked over to the counter to get away from it. He tripped over a fake jack o’lantern on the way. “Shit.”

David tried and failed to cover his snicker. Matteo couldn’t decide whether he liked him or not. When he looked at him again, David smiled, sharing his mirth. He liked him. 

“So, uh. Have you ever worked in retail?”

“Loads of times.”

Hopefully that meant Matteo wouldn’t have to teach him much. “I’ll, uh – I’ll show you how to work our cash register. It’s pretty easy.”

*********

Just as he’d hoped, David was a natural. He picked everything up in an instant like he’d been doing it all his life. He looked about Matteo’s age, so that couldn’t really be the case. Some people were just good, he supposed. Were he a different sort of person, that’d make him jealous. As he was, he didn’t really care. Natural born experts made most tasks easier. Good news for a lazy boy.

What stood out more than anything was how easily David would entrance customers. Even those who’d only come in for ‘a quick look’ ended up buying at least one product with his persuasion. Rentier adored him. Called him his money maker.

Sam and Leonie liked him, too. Perhaps a little too much. Matteo noticed the way Leonie held onto David’s every last word. Laughed extra hard at all his jokes. Stared at him when he wasn’t looking. It didn’t bother him. Not at all.

They were restocking after a busy afternoon about a week and a half after David’s first day. It felt like more time had passed with how well he fit in already. Leonie kept dropping bars of soap, distracted by David stacking a higher shelf. Matteo worked slowly as he watched this. It didn’t bother him.

“Oh, I’m having my famous Halloween party again,” Sam said.

“Awesome!” exclaimed Leonie. “You can meet all our friends,” she said to David. “They’ll love you.”

“Uh, sure,” he said with a little laugh. David didn’t often get nervous. Matteo quirked his head while he studied him. He could’ve sworn he just saw his eyes go a little gold. Almost like they were glowing. _Probably just the sun or something._

“Maybe they can get more information out of you.”

“What?” he laughed, nerves growing. Surely Leonie could sense it.

“You just moved here and you won’t even tell us where you’re from.”

He gave her a shrug, clearly going for nonchalant. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

“Because we want to get to know you! That’s not weird, is it?”

He huffed a small laugh. “Okay. I’m from Berlin. But I haven’t been back here in a long time.”

“How long?” asked Matteo.

Everyone turned to him, seemingly having forgotten him tucked away in his little corner. He cleared his throat. “Um. How long were you away?”

David gave him one of those… _mysterious_ looks. “A lifetime.”

Leonie and Sam laughed at that, but Matteo didn’t. Some of the things David would say. All this weird, ominous shit that made little sense. Though, it was always so sincere. He said it in a way that could be mistaken for a joke. The girls and Rentier always did. Matteo was probably just overthinking this. Although…

“Anyway, it’ll be at my place, like always,” Sam said. “Halloween night. And everyone has to wear a costume this year, or I won’t let them drink.”

“How are you gonna make that happen?” Matteo asked doubtfully.

She playfully stared him down. “I have my ways.” He believed her.

“Yeah, only half the people dressed up last year,” Leonie said, scrunching her nose. “How boring.”

“Exactly! My parties can’t be boring. It’s not allowed.”

“It won’t be boring this year,” said David.

“Yeah?”

He nodded emphatically. “I’ll be there.”

Everyone laughed this time. Matteo made sure to pair his laugh with an eyeroll. David was completely full of himself. Whenever he smiled at him, Matteo thought he deserved to be. No one should be that enchanting. And yet, there he was. He had everyone wrapped around his finger in so little time.

Nothing wrong with that.

*********

It was still light out when they closed a few days later. Rentier asked Matteo to show David how to close before he hurried off to wherever.

Before Matteo could begin explaining, David had logged the register out and secured all the things that needed securing. There was no way he figured those things out on his own. They were Rentier specific things.

“Have you done this before?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah. I closed with Leonie a couple times.”

That didn’t bother him. It _didn’t. _

“Oh.”

Matteo switched the lights off while David pulled his black hoodie on. He swung his backpack over his shoulder by the door. Matteo noticed the trans flag pin on it. It was just like the one Linn had on her favourite jacket.

They stood across from each other. Waiting for something. Matteo wasn’t sure what. But he had an idea. “Um,” he began, clearing his throat. “I’m meeting my friends at the skatepark. Did you want to–” 

“Thanks, but I’ve really gotta head home.”

Matteo swallowed down his stupid disappointment. “Oh. Yeah, okay.”

“It sounds great, and all,” David added quickly, reading Matteo like the book he always carried around. “I’m just, uh. Busy, y’know.”

_Don’t be pathetic. _

Matteo straightened his shoulders as best he could. David shouldn’t have to feel bad about having a life. It would just be really nice to hang out with him outside of work for once. _Really _nice. Matteo had put quite a lot of thought into what they’d do. They could go back to his place, make some grilled sandwiches, smoke a couple joints. They could talk they way they always did. About anything and everything and all the stuff in between. Only there’d be no managers or customers or Sams or Leonies to interrupt.

He fiddled with the shop key, only glancing up at David for a moment to say, “Okay. See you tomorrow?”

David smiled at him. Softly, a little sadly. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

*********

“Hey!”

Matteo was greeted with a high five from Abdi, a pat on the back from Carlos and a nod from Jonas, who was poised to skate off the ramp.

Sam, Hanna and Kiki sat a little away from them, cheering the skaters on. “Hey, Luigi,” Hanna called.

“You closed with David, right?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Why didn’t you ask him to come along?”

“I did. He said he was busy.”

“That’s so weird,” she said thoughtfully.

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Every time me or Leonie try to ask him to come somewhere, he blows us off. Except that one time he agreed to a quick drink. But that was really late and he won’t come anywhere else with us.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like you,” Abdi said.

“Huh?” Sam asked, incredulous. “Of course he likes me. Why wouldn’t he like me?”

“You said he keeps ditching you, so…”

Sam scoffed and the girls laughed. “He’s just really like, mysterious and shit. All secretive.” She looked at Matteo. “Don’t you think?”

He did. “Uh. I don’t know.”

“Yeah you do. You guys are best buddies.”

“I thought I was your best bud,” Carlos said, a dramatic hand on his heart. He faked a whimper and quivered his bottom lip.

Matteo rolled his eyes and laughed at him. “I only met him like two weeks ago.”

“That only makes the betrayal worse.”

Jonas sat beside him, puffing lightly. “Who betrayed who?”

“You when you smoked the rest of my weed last week,” Matteo said.

Jonas shrugged easily. “Repayment for all the weed you bummed off me all these years.”

“All these years?” Hanna gave them an accusatory look. “Exactly how long have you been smoking?”

Jonas and Matteo shared a look. “I’ve never smoked in my life,” Matteo said.

“Me neither.”

Hanna sat back with a laugh, arms crossed over her chest. “Yeah right.”

“Maybe he’s hiding an eating disorder,” Kiki suggested.

Everyone frowned at her. “What?” Matteo said.

“I was there when they went for a drink and he wouldn’t touch our vegan pizza. He got all weird about it.”

“Maybe because vegan margheritas are disgusting.”

“You eat pasta for breakfast,” she said flatly.

Matteo didn’t see anything wrong with that. Particularly when he woke in the afternoon whenever he didn’t have a morning shift. His pasta was pure excellence.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve had pasta à la Luigi,” Jonas said.

“What’s this David guy like, anyway?” Carlos asked.

“He’s really cool. And he knows it,” said Matteo, getting a little laugh from Sam. He smiled to himself. “Really smart, too. He knows everything. It’s kind of annoying. And he’s good at everything. That’s really annoying.”

He stopped and realised everyone was staring at him with a weird look. “…what?”

“Dude, you sound like you’re in love,” said Carlos.

Matteo scoffed, cheeks warming. “What? No.”

“Don’t worry, Luigi, a little crush is healthy,” Jonas said.

“I don’t have a crush, what the fuck.”

“This is so funny,” Sam laughed. “Leonie likes him too.”

That did _not _bother him.

“What’s with this guy, is he magic?” Abdi complained. “I need some of that energy.”

“I’ll put in a good word.”

Matteo’s buzzing phone saved him from this ridiculous conversation.

> **David: **Buona sera, Mr. Florenzi
> 
> What’s your favourite film?

Matteo smiled and typed his response quickly.

> **Matteo: **i dont really know
> 
> why?
> 
> **David: **Can’t a guy get to know you?
> 
> **Matteo: **:p
> 
> **David: **:o
> 
> **Matteo: **i like old horror movies
> 
> **David: **A classics man
> 
> Like The Lost Boys?
> 
> **Matteo: **exactly
> 
> **David: **It’s a good one. What do you like about it?
> 
> Or, what do you like about old horror movies in general
> 
> **Matteo: **they’re cool and creepy without being fucked up
> 
> the stories are better
> 
> some of the shit they make today is like
> 
> what
> 
> **David: **Yeah, some of today’s horror films are like get some therapy
> 
> To the writers, I mean
> 
> **Matteo: **haha yeah
> 
> what’s your favourite movie??
> 
> **David: **There are so many good ones
> 
> I think my all time favourite is Only Lovers Left Alive
> 
> Never related to a film more
> 
> **Matteo: **never heard of it
> 
> **David: **It’s a good one
> 
> You should check it out

“What’s up with you?” asked Carlos.

Matteo jumped and locked his phone. He cleared his throat, pretending he wasn’t startled. “Uh, what?”

“You’re all smiley.”

“Am I?”

“He’s right, you are,” Jonas said.

Matteo wiped the smile off his face. It took a few tries. David made him want to smile. _Shit. _“Uh.” He shrugged. “Just happy it’s Halloween.”

“Not for another two weeks, dude,” Carlos said.

How dare he? “Dude, all of October is Halloween.” If it were up to Matteo, Halloween would be all year round.

“Alright, if you don’t want to tell us,” Jonas conceded. “We’re here if you need us.”

They always were. Even though they could all act like dumbasses sometimes – including Matteo himself. They always had each other’s backs. 

*********

Matteo started watching David more carefully after that afternoon in the park. The more he noticed, the more mysterious David got.

For one thing, he never ate. Just as Kiki had said. He did mention eating sometimes, but Matteo never actually saw him do it. He supposed that wasn’t_ too_ weird.

What _was_ weird, was how he completely covered up whenever he went outside in the day. Sunglasses on, hood up. That big, dark hoodie swimming on him. Though when they went out in the night, he let the moon see his face.

And then there was the constant rejection of offers to hang out. No matter who they came from. Unless it was dark out. The team actually managed to get him out for another drink one night after the sun had gone down. There was always the possibility that Abdi was right; maybe he didn’t like them.

And of course, all the weird things he’d say with hidden double meanings. How he really did seem to know everything. The way he talked about the past as if he were there personally. How he only ever shared little breadcrumbs of information about himself, never delving too deep. Careful to never reveal too much, whatever that meant. 

Matteo felt like he only half-knew him. Could be that he was overanalysing this entire situation. Or, he could be right and there really was something weird going on. Something impossible, even.

In all the movies, whenever someone behaved like this, they always turned out to be a vampire. Matteo laughed at himself. _Yeah right. _

“What’s the joke?” David asked.

“Oh, nothing.”

David quirked a curious brow at him. He was so cute. “Okay.”

“When do you finish?” Matteo asked while he put his jacket on.

David looked at the clock above the counter. “In about an hour.”

Matteo bit his cheeks to stop himself from asking him to hang out again. No use when he’d only be shot down again.

“Do you maybe wanna hang out after?” David said for him.

Matteo blinked at him. Even Rentier went still. “Are… did you…?”

“You’re busy, it’s cool.”

“No! Uh, no.” Matteo smiled shyly because he was a loser. “I’m not busy.”

David smiled at him, eyes soft. “Good. Um. Do you want to hang at your place?”

“We could watch that movie you told me about.”

“We could.”

They stared at each other. Matteo pulled his lips in to stop another smile. “I’ll text you the address?” 

“I’ll see you in about an hour.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Matteo just about skipped out of the store. He was finally going to spend time with him alone. A whole evening. Just the two of them. At least, he hoped. He pulled out his phone to make sure.

> **Matteo: **is anyone home tonight?
> 
> **Mia: **I’m with Alex
> 
> **Hans: **I’ve got a hot date
> 
> why? do you?
> 
> **Matteo: **just checking
> 
> **Hans: **sure
> 
> **Matteo: **what about Linn?
> 
> **Hans: **she’s in Munich remember?
> 
> **Mia: **she’s been there all week
> 
> **Hans: **just like you’ve been wichya mans
> 
> **Matteo:** dont say that
> 
> **Hans: **what?
> 
> **Mia: **he’s right, it doest suit you 

Matteo was all the way down the street when he realised he should’ve asked David if he wanted him to wait for him. It would’ve at least been polite. Wouldn’t it? Matteo didn’t usually invite people back to his place. He looked back at the store. _What do I do? _

He couldn’t just walk back in now, could he? That would be weird, wouldn’t it? What was the etiquette here? If he went all the way back after five minutes just to ask him a small question he’d probably say no to, he’d look way too desperate.

Matteo looked back and forth between the direction of the store and the direction of the bus stop. “Fuck.” Making his mind up, he continued down the road. It shouldn’t’ve been that hard of a decision. Twisted up his insides anyway. He was ridiculous.

The apartment was quiet, as expected. Messier than it should be. He checked his phone. There was still time to tidy up before he arrived. He’d made sure to send the address while he sat on the bus. David wouldn’t be there for a while yet. Matteo gathered the shit off the living room floor and shoved it into the linen closet. Put all the dirty dishes in the sink. Picked all his dirty clothes off his bedroom floor and shoved them into the overflowing laundry basket. Looked around for anything more. That should do it.

The buzzer echoed in the empty apartment. Matteo hurried to the door, gliding on his socks. He stopped himself from pressing the button. _It’s too soon. _He waited a couple more seconds, the anticipation nearly choking him. Then pressed. Held his breath until a knock came to the door. Opened it to a hooded David.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Matteo stepped aside to let David in. He took his hood off as he walked inside, exposing his messy dark hair. Matteo loved his hair. _Stop. _

He led them into the living room and stopped at the edge of the couch. David looked around, a small smile playing at his lips. Matteo loved his lips. _Oh my God, stop. _

“Nice place,” David said, nodding.

“Yeah.” Awkward silence. Excellent. An idea struck. “Do you smoke?”

“Uh huh. You talking joints?”

“If you’re up for it.”

“I’m always up for it.”

“Good to know,” Matteo said with a nod. They went into his room, sat on the bed, rolled a couple joints. David was good at that, too. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

“Lots of things.”

“Like what?”

“Staying in one place.”

One of the few breadcrumbs David gave them was that he was a nomadic kind of guy. Always travelling, always on the move. He’d been all over the world. Matteo had never gone further than Austria.

“What’s your favourite place that you’ve ever been?”

“Berlin.” He lit the first joint and took a deep puff. Passed it to Matteo. Their fingers brushed when he took it. “And Detroit.”

Matteo passed the joint back after his puff. “That’s in America, right?” David nodded. “What’s in Detroit?”

“Music.” Matteo pushed some air out of his nose. “What?”

“You don’t say much.”

“I say things.”

“About other people and places. But not about yourself.”

“You sound like Leonie.”

Matteo bumped their shoulders. The contact sent tingles up Matteo’s arm. “Whatever.”

It was almost exactly as Matteo imagined it would be. They smoked. They talked. They laughed. Fingers brushed every so often. Legs bumped. Matteo’s everything fluttered and pounded and tingled. He was such a loser. He loved every moment of it.

David laughed when Matteo’s stomach growled for the fifth time. They were lying back on the bed now. So close.

“I should go,” David said, sitting up.

Terrible idea. Worst idea anyone ever had. “Why?”

“You need to eat.”

“We could order pizza or something?”

“Thanks, but I should get going.” Matteo sorrowfully watched David slide off the bed and put his hoodie back on by the window. It was dark out. 

They’d spent the whole evening together, but Matteo was selfish. He wanted more.

“Sure you don’t want to stay?”

David gave him a soft smile. Matteo loved his smile. “I’d love to, but…” he bit his lip like he was considering. Matteo held his breath, stupidly hoping for the hopeless. “I really gotta go.”

Matteo’s lightened heart sank, but only a fraction. He didn’t want David to go, but that wasn’t going to spoil the good mood he was in. Their night together had him soaring.

He walked David to the door. “You’ll get home okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” David assured him. “Thanks for tonight.”

“We should do it again.”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

They stood across from each other for several silent seconds, swaying and smiling like two twelve years olds with a crush. So, Matteo _did_ like David. So what? He could like him if he wanted. 

“Goodnight,” David said again with a small laugh. Matteo loved his laugh.

He left with his hood down. And was gone in the blink of an eye.

*********

Things changed after that.

Matteo was excited to go to work. Every time his phone went off, he lunged for it. Hans and Mia thought it was hilarious. They didn’t get it. Matteo had never felt quite like this before. This… excited to be alive. Not even on Halloween. All after one simple date.

_It wasn’t a date_, he reminded himself over and over. They never said what it was. It made him giddy the way characters always got in those cheesy romance movies. Maybe it was a date.

Their entire next two shifts together were spent making all difference kinds of eye contact. Matteo didn’t know there were so many types. The discovery was nice. His favourite was playful, where they would waggle their eyebrows and make each other laugh. The best part was trying to keep quiet through their laughter, which only made them both laugh even more.

In their downtime, they would joke and tease and chat like old friends. David told him about secret places he’d been around Berlin that nobody knew about. He promised to take him one day. He was joking when he said it, but Matteo chose to believe him.

The end of the second day, Matteo didn’t want to leave. Rentier had to order him to go home, telling him he was in the way. He was right, though he could’ve been a little nicer about it, the prick.

When he finally managed to get Matteo out the door, however, he found he still didn’t want to go. There was a kebab shop a few stores down that he could sit at and wait for David to finish his shift. Was it weird? A little. Desperate? Majorly. Matteo was going to do it anyway.

He got comfortable and bought a kebab for something to do while he waited. Turned out, he was hungrier than he thought and he scarfed it down. He polished off the whole box and was sad to see nothing left. Peeked at the time every point five seconds. Until it was finally time.

Matteo pulled himself up happily and walked back towards Bloodbath and Zombieworks, full tummy fluttering. He hoped David didn’t think he was too weird for this. Maybe he wouldn’t tell him he waited. He could make up some other excuse.

Fluttering tummy doubled its efforts when David exited the store, hood up. Matteo stopped to take the sight of him in. He smiled and opened his mouth to call out to him. Ate the words when he saw the impossible.

David lifted an uncovered hand up to pull his dark hood further over his head. The hand sizzled and smoked in the sunlight. David winced and quickly shoved the hand back into his pocket. He paced down the street, luckily in the other direction.

Matteo stood there, dumbfounded. Was that really – did he really – did that mean…? There was no way. Matteo was seeing things, surely. David was still in sight, hooded head dipped, covered shoulders hunched. It couldn’t be. 

In all the movies, whenever someone behaved like this, they always turned out to be a vampire.

“Fuck.” Before he could come to his senses, Matteo resumed his walk, intent on following David home. That was another question he always cleverly evaded. He would never give anyone so much as a hint to where he resided. What was there to hide?

Matteo was going to find out.

He followed David’s short walk to an expensive high-rise. Jonas talked about how much people would pay to live there when it was going up years ago. How it was such a waste. Leonie fantasied about being one of those people. Matteo could never decide which side he was on. Jonas always made good arguments, even when they were kids who knew shit all. But it _would_ be nice to rich.

Could that be David’s big secret? He was a rich entrepreneur or the heir to a massive fortune. It could explain why he never wanted to go out and why he always covered himself outside. Didn’t want anyone recognising him. That didn’t answer everything. Nothing could explain the burning hand.

Matteo watched David disappear into the building. He let himself in, meaning he definitely lived there. How could someone so young afford a place like that? Unless he was right and he did live with a wealthy family. Matteo strained to remember the one and only thing he’d ever said about his family.

_“My mother would’ve loved these soaps.” _

It was said quietly, almost as if to himself. The thing that Matteo focused on was the ”would’ve”. He spoke of her in the past tense. Meaning… she was gone? It always seemed like David was on his own.

The sight of that burning hand. The sound. The smell.

It was impossible. Matteo had to know.

*********

Days spent obsessively scouring every corner of the internet he could access with info on vampirism took a toll.

Matteo barely slept those three days. Forgot to shower. He made repeated mistakes at work; the kind he’d never make on any ordinary day. Could barely hold a basic conversation. 

Sam commented that he’d started wearing his Halloween costume early. “You didn’t really turn into a zombie, did you?”

“Ha. Ha.” 

And then there was David. Sweet, smarty-pants David. David who might be a vampire. Matteo couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. It was too pathetic, too ridiculous. Yet he couldn’t stop searching. There was a reason David was so secretive and strange. Matteo just had to know.

“Are you okay?” he asked him on the third day.

Matteo couldn’t bring himself to meet David’s gaze, but he’d been staring at him all day when he wasn’t looking. He felt like a creep. Observing like that. Suspecting him. The guilt that he’d followed him home every day since. He was a wreck.

“Mm hm.”

David eyed him carefully, concern in his gaze. He wouldn’t feel that way if he knew what a weirdo Matteo was.

They’d barely spoken to each other over the last three days and Matteo missed him. He missed their banter and their little arguments over which food combinations were better. He missed making David smile, David making _him_ smile. _I’m a jerk. _

It was dark when the store closed up that night. Rentier left David and Matteo to it again. They closed silently, the discomfort palpable. After, they stood across from each other outside the shop. David bounced on his feet, hood down, hands in his pockets. “Doing anything now?”

Matteo hadn’t heard anything that devasting since his parents’ divorce. An actual invite to hang from the elusive David Schreibner. Matteo desperately wanted to take him up on that. Tell him he had nothing in the whole world planned. That we wanted to spend this evening, every evening with him. All the research he’d done. All that obsessive, addictive investigating. He couldn’t let go just yet. 

“Yeah, kinda,” he said, head low so he wouldn’t have to look at him. He really was a loser now.

“Ah, okay,” David said in the tone he used when he pretended not to be disappointed. Matteo hated to disappoint him. “Well. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

They turned in opposite directions and started home. Matteo pretended to walk a few metres. Stopped and stared at his phone. Waited a smidge longer just to be sure. Then, he turned around and began following David at his usual safe distance.

Following him so far had been the same. David would walk home in his big, dark hoodie and disappear into that expensive high-rise. Nothing suspicious or unusual happened. Matteo had a feeling about that night. It was going to be different. He knew it.

David’s figure turned into a blur and disappeared.

Matteo froze, frown deep. He was gone. Vanished into nothing. “What the?”

“Got a good show, did you?”

Matteo jumped, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. He swerved around to see a very unimpressed David standing behind him. Matteo gaped at him. “But you – you were just – I –”

“This is what you’re busy doing? Following me?”

“I…”

David laughed bitterly. “Was this what I was to you the whole time? A little research project?”

“What? No.”

David crossed him arms, thinking. “You’ve been different this past week.”

Matteo looked at his feet, ashamed. “Yeah.” 

They were quiet. Nothing but the sounds of the distant traffic to fill the empty space between them. Matteo chanced a quick look at David. His expression was… betrayed. Matteo hated it. He hated himself. This wasn’t him.

“David, I–”

“Don’t talk to me again, okay?”

“Wait–”

David disappeared in a dark blur. Matteo felt him whoosh past him, leaving both their shattered hearts on the street.

He was right. David was a vampire. Or, at least some kind of supernatural being. As impossible as that was. It was the truth. Instead of the stupid vindication he thought he’d get from that, all he felt was loss.

What had he done?

*********

After the obsession came the moping.

Matteo moped around work, around customers, around the apartment. David called in sick two days in a row just so he wouldn’t have to see him. He ignored every one of his texts. How could Matteo begin to explain? He’d been following David around like a stalker. All he wanted was to take it all back.

Could it be possible? Vampires existed. Other supernatural things might, as well. Maybe there were witches with time manipulation powers. He couldn’t believe he was thinking that way. Only a week ago, he would’ve thought he was insane. Now, here he was. Knowing that somehow, vampires were real. _Holy shit. _

His amazement was dimmed by his regret, his guilt, his hurt. He acted like a complete jerk. David’s betrayed face haunted his every waking moment. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake that off. He deserved to be plagued by it.

On his day off, he moped in his bedroom. Alone, where he couldn’t bother anyone. He didn’t leave his bed until 15:34, intent on making pasta for his breakfast-lunch.

He opened his door to see Jonas, Carlos, Abdi and Hans sitting quietly in the living room. They were all looking at him. “Hey…?”

“How’s it going, Luigi?” Jonas asked. His expression and tone were full of Jonas-brand concern.

“Okay.”

“Butterfly,” Hans said, leaning towards him from his chair. “You’ve been sulking for days.”

Matteo shrugged. “That’s me.”

“Low energy is on brand for you, but not constant brooding. Not since you were seventeen. What’s wrong?”

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, unsure if he wanted to do this right now. Mostly, he just wanted to be left alone to sulk in peace. The small part of him that wanted his friends around convinced him to say, “How did you know?”

“Did I not just say you’ve been sulking, or?”

“And Sam told us you’ve been all moody at work, scaring away the customers,” Abdi said.

Matteo cringed at the memory of him snapping at an indecisive customer yesterday. Rentier had remarked he was glad it was Matteo’s day off the next day.

“Maybe.”

“Family troubles?” Jonas asked.

For once, no. Matteo shook his head.

“Boy troubles?”

Matteo pulled a face.

Carlos clicked his fingers. “That’s it.”

“Ooh!” Hans patted the spot beside him on the couch. “Come sit.”

Matteo trudged over and plopped himself down beside Hans.

“Who’s the guy?” Carlos asked.

“Is it me?”

Matteo pulled a face at Abdi. “Yeah, sure. It’s you.”

“I knew it.”

“It’s David,” Jonas stated, rather than guessed. He could always see right through him. Almost. 

There was no point trying to deny it. “It’s David,” Matteo sighed.

“The new hottie at work?” Hans asked.

“How does everyone know about him?”

“Because everyone’s always talking about him,” Abdi said.

It was no trouble trying to figure out why. David was utterly captivating. Even if he forgot all about that one not-so-tiny detail of him being a literal vampire.

“What’s going on with you two?” Jonas asked.

Matteo sighed yet again, sinking back into the couch. He couldn’t tell them the whole story. They’d think he was nuts. Or just that he’d smoked too much. “We sort of had a thing going. I think.”

“And?” Hans asked expectantly.

“I messed it up.”

“What happened?”

“I betrayed him.”

The guys all shared a look. “What does that mean?” asked Carlos. A lotta questions.

Questions Matteo _could not_ answer. It made no sense. They wouldn’t believe him.

“Oh, is it about him being a vampire?” Abdi asked as if it were no big deal.

Matteo frowned. He darted his eyes around, taking quick glances of each of the guys a few times. They didn’t seem at all bothered by this. “What?”

“Wait, you do know he’s a vampire, right?” Jonas checked.

_What the fuck is going on. _“How did you…?”

“Know? Yeah, we all know. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but. Like – why – why are you acting like that’s not weird? Like it’s normal?”

Jonas looked at him like someone looked at a stupid person who wasn’t getting a simple concept. Matteo looked around the room and observed the same look on all their faces. “Okay, what the fuck is happening right now?”

“Matteo, you did know Berlin is a modern day supernatural haven? Right?”

Matteo sputtered and blinked and fidgeted on the couch while his brain tried and tried again to process what the fuck was going on. There was just no way.

Jonas’s face dropped. “You really didn’t?”

“Not all humans know, dude,” Abdi said like Jonas was being insensitive. “I only know ‘cos of the witches in the family.”

“You know, that makes a lot of sense,” Hans said thoughtfully. “This whole time you didn’t know.”

Matteo gaped at them. He _never_ gaped. “Is this for real right now?” 

“Yeah, man,” Carlos said. “Check it out, I’m a warlock.” He snapped his fingers, producing a flame. It danced on his fingers.

“Why don’t you ever do that when we smoke?”

“I do, you’re always just too burned out to notice.”

Matteo looked at Jonas. “And you?”

Jonas lifted his hoodie and tugged at his jeans to reveal three large scars on his hip. They looked like claw marks. “Werewolf.”

“Angel,” Hans added for himself, making his entire body glow. Kind of like a human disco ball. Except he wasn’t human at all. Apparently he was a fucking angel the entire time.

Matteo turned to Abdi next, head spinning. “Just a regular guy, like you.”

That was a small relief. “Are… are the others…?”

“Oh yeah, Sam’s a fairy, Kiki’s a siren, Hanna’s another werewolf. Amira and her brothers are humans, too.”

“And Linn is a demon,” Hans said. “Isn’t that cute? An angel and a demon living together.”

“What’s Mia?”

“A white feminist.”

“What?”

Hans laughed. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding, don’t tell her I said that.”

Matteo didn’t even know what that meant. _None _of this was making any sense. He rubbed his eyes, then ran his hands through his unwashed hair.

“You okay?” Jonas asked with a small, sympathetic laugh.

Matteo blinked rapidly, trying to stay present. This wasn’t a dream. He was here. His friends were here. Everything was true. Unless he’d forgotten he’d taken something and was tripping balls right now.

“Don’t worry, you’re not high.” Jonas read his mind. He wondered if anyone actually could. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I mean, what the fuck, but yeah, okay.”

The guys laughed with him. He knew their laughter was coming from difference places. Matteo’s laugh was very much a ‘what the fucking fuckity fuck’ laugh. How could this be happening? How could he have missed it all this time? Matteo’s entire world was changing. Reshaping in his mind. 

So many things were unclear. “Wait, so if you guys knew David was a vampire, why was Sam so suspicious of him?”

“She didn’t know at first but then she was like ooh,” Abdi explained.

“Does Leonie know?”

The guys shrugged. “As far as I know, she’s a human,” Jonas said. “I don’t know if she knows about any of us.”

Matteo frowned at his fingers and picked the loose threads on the couch cushion. “Have you guys been like,” he shrugged, “I don’t know hiding all this from me?”

“No, dude, we thought you knew!” Carlos said.

“If you weren’t hiding it, then how did I not know? How do you miss something like that?”

The guys all shrugged again, helplessly. “It’s not like we’re out here using our powers 24/7. Guess if you’re not looking for it…”

Matteo always was too in his head. Now it was filled with a mindfuck and a half.

“Anyway, weren’t we talking about David?” Hans said, bored with the conversation. “You messed up, now you’re sad, how are we gonna fix it?”

“Sam’s Halloween party is tomorrow,” Carlos said. “You could make it up to him there.”

Matteo wasn’t sure if he even wanted to go. Reading his expression, Jonas said, “The guy said he moves around a lot, so this _could_ be your only chance.”

“I don’t even know if he’s going to be there.” 

Jonas patted his back. “He’ll be there, alright? We’ll get him there.”

*********

Two hours.

Matteo had been stuck waiting at this party for two ours and there was still no sign of David. He adjusted his cape for the twenty-first time that night and shifted around on his feet.

“Relax,” Jonas said. “He’ll be here.”

“He’s not coming.”

“He’ll be here.”

It was hopeless. David wouldn’t see him, wouldn’t talk to him. He wouldn’t even _read_ his texts, let alone reply. The last thing David said to him burned in his mind.

_ “Don’t talk to me again, okay?” _

He wanted nothing to do with him. Matteo would never know what it’d be like to kiss him. He should’ve gone for it sooner. Though, that might’ve made it worse. Had he kissed him, he’d forever know what he was missing out on. His shoulders slumped, completely dejected. Time to go home.

Before he could announce his departure, he locked eyes with David from across the room. His breath caught in his throat. Heart stopped. _David. _

He was there, as gorgeous as ever. Wearing a patterned jumper, dirty grey jeans and messy hair. Matteo had no idea what his costume was supposed to be, but he looked good.

Jonas gave Matteo an encouraging back pat. “Good luck.”

Right. He was supposed to _talk _to David. With a gulp, he approached him. It felt like way too long since they were last close. “Hey.”

“Hey.” David looked him up and down, containing his smirk. “You came as a vampire.”

“Do you like it?”

“You look good.”

_Fuck, _that sent a shiver down his spine. David thought he looked good! “So do you,” he said. “But, uh…?”

“You don’t get it?” Matteo shook his head. “I’m you.”

Matteo took in the patterned jumper. No wonder he liked it so much. “That’s good,” he laughed.

“I thought so.”

They stood across from each other like they always did, swaying on their feet. Matteo smiled nervously. “Do you wanna go somewhere and talk?”

David returned the smile, his more soft than nervous. _So, he’s not mad anymore? _“Yeah,” David nodded. “I know a place.” He took Matteo’s hand. Tingles shot through the entire length of his arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

Nothing sounded better.

David led him to an obscure part of the city. A part Matteo wasn’t familiar with. They climbed over a rusty old fence and in through a tiny, dingy window. Matteo let David lead the way, though walking through a dark stairwell wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he wanted to leave the party with him.

“You think too much,” David said.

“Only when I’m with you.”

David lifted his chin and bit his lip. “Do I make you nervous?”

Matteo gulped. “Yes.”

“You make me nervous too.”

A deep breath. Matteo took David’s hand. Entwined their fingers. “But I feel good when I’m with you.”

David squeezed his hand. “So do I. C’mon.” He led him through the stairwell into an abandoned public swimming pool. It looked like it’d been empty for a long while. “This is my place. Do you like it?”

Matteo took in the grand ceiling. He bet it’d make a nice echo. He whistled to be sure. David laughed and whistled along with him. He was so cute.

“Well?”

“Huh?”

“Do you like it?” David opened his arms wide, gesturing at the walls around them.

Matteo shrugged, trying to play it cool. “It’s cool.” 

“Feel like a swim?”

“What?” David jumped down into the empty pool, shoes echoing off the bottom. Matteo laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, are you scared you’re gonna fuck up your hair?”

“Me?” Matteo scoffed. He leaned down and jumped in next to David. “No way.” They were standing so close. Matteo wanted to kiss him. But he knew they had to talk first. “I’m sorry. About following you,” he said. “It wasn’t the whole time, just those few days I acted weird. You weren’t a research project. I’m sorry.”

David pulled his lips in. Nodded. “Thanks.” Matteo sensed there was more to say. “It was a little bit my fault, too.”

“No–” Matteo begin, but David stopped him.

“Sometimes when I like someone, a weird thing happens where they become obsessed with me.”

“Oh.”

Worry was in his eyes. “Yeah.”

“I don’t blame you for that. It’s fine.”

David released a quiet breath of relief. “Do… you wanna know the whole story?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. If… you want to tell me.”

“I do.” David sat on the pool floor, back against one of the walls. Matteo slid down next to him. “So, I’m a vampire,” David started. Matteo gave him a small smile to encourage him to go on.

“I was born in Lebanon three hundred years ago. My family were very wealthy, but there were so many poor people in our village, they hated us. They hated my father even though he was a good man. We lived in a big, beautiful house and they couldn’t even afford bread. So one night, some people set fire to our house. I jumped out a window, but the fall broke my legs. I thought I was going to die. And this woman, a traveller from Greece saved me. She turned me.

“Everything was gone. My parents, my brothers and sisters, my home. I had nothing, so I went with her. Her name was Aster. She took me around the middle east. Showed me how to be a vampire, how to survive. And then one day, she was gone. I still don’t know what happened to her. She always talked about Greece and Turkey, so I made my way there. Worked for a while. Kept moving. Aster told me I was going to live forever, and I wanted to see the world. 

“So I did. I went all over the world many times. But out of any place in the whole world, Berlin was always my favourite. I don’t know why,” he paused to laugh. “It’s like something keeps drawing me back here.” He met Matteo’s eyes. “And then I met you.”

Matteo’s breath hitched. Heart raced. _What the fuck. _He never felt like this before. It was all he ever wanted to feel.

“I always knew I was trans,” David went on. “Long before anyone really knew what that meant.” He smiled. “I was even at the first ever pride march in New York.”

Matteo had never even been to one and he was talking to someone who was at the _first _march. Hans and Linn would be very impressed. 

“It’s funny because that was ages ago, but I was really old then.”

“You’re even older now,” Matteo teased. “You’re an old man.”

“Is that a problem?” David challenged.

Matteo pretended to think it over. “Could be a deal breaker.”

“That’s too bad. We could’ve been great.”

“It was nice while it lasted.”

Their laughter echoed around them. Filled the room with their glee.

David got to his feet and held his hand out for Matteo. He pulled him up, standing close to him. “You know, we’re underwater right now.” Matteo made some swimming motions with his hands. David laughed at him. “So, we should be holding our breaths.”

“On three.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three,” they said together before both sucking in a deep breath. 

David stepped closer to Matteo. Eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips. _Kiss me. _David did. He pressed a small peck to Matteo’s lips and moved back before he could deepen it. “I won,” David laughed.

“That’s cheating,” Matteo said, biting back his smile. He wanted another kiss, dammit.

“You think there are rules here?”

“I want a rematch.”

David raised his brows and bopped his head around. “Okay.”

On the count of three, they begun their rematch. This time, Matteo stepped forward. They looked at each other for a long moment. David told Matteo he wanted this with his eyes, his smile. Matteo would gladly oblige. He grabbed the back of David’s head and pulled him into a kiss.

_Finally. _

Matteo couldn’t believe how soft David’s lips were against his own. How thick his hair felt in his fingers. How right kissing David felt. Like it was the only thing he was meant to do with his stupid life. They held onto each other while they kissed and kissed and kissed.

The irony was, they ended up having to pull apart for air. Matteo rested his forehead against David’s. They laughed together, like they couldn’t quite believe it. 

“I heard you didn’t even know Berlin was full of supernaturals,” David said, pulling back slightly to look at him.

“No idea,” Matteo shrugged. “I look like a giant idiot.”

“You look alright to me.”

Matteo’s heart leapt. “I just. How is all this possible?”

“I guess we all just exist, same as other species. With special abilities.” 

“I’m okay with being ordinary,” Matteo decided. 

David brushed his thumb against Matteo’s cheek. So tender. “You’re extraordinary to me.” 

Halloween was the most wonderful day of the year.

**Author's Note:**

> The End!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this spooky little au. Can you believe they're soulmates in every universe.  
This one's for my peeps on discord. We came up with this crack idea months ago and I finally wrote it. Tada! This whole thing was born out of a weird tumblr url 
> 
> Happy 3 year anniversary to Isak and Even :’) 
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr at [thegirlnooneknows5](http://thegirlnooneknows5.tumblr.com/)  
My ask is always open and I am always lonely <3


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